LAPWAI, Idaho – Nez Perce tribal members are again able to hunt buffalo in recognition of the Treaty of 1855. The first such hunt was in February 2006 when five buffalo were harvested through the Youth Buffalo Initiative. The hunt has been continued and more permits are now available.
This year, 118 tribal members and organizations signed up for a chance at a permit. Eleven permits were initially issued and it’s assumed that 70 – 110 will be issued in February before the season is finished. The majority of the permits will be issued to tribal individuals with lesser numbers designated to tribal elders, tribal C&S needs and community hunting parties for their needs. The permit system not only maintains the sovereignty of the nation, but it controls the flow of hunters and allows the harvest to be tracked.
Albert Barros and Dan Kane were two of this year’s initial eleven permit holders. Both were successful and this is their story.
Barros left the reservation 22 years ago to work in Washington, D.C., learning how the federal government works and working with many tribes. He was always proud to say, ”I’m a Nez Perce.” When the tribe announced a buffalo hunt in recognition of the Treaty of 1855, he knew he wanted to take part in a hunt. He was excited to receive a call from Kane saying they had drawn permits for this winter.
They recruited two friends, Zeke Domebo, Nez Perce, and Bob Parot, Flathead, to join their party to experience the hunt and to help with gutting and packing if they got buffalo down. Then it was off to Gardiner, Mont., where the hunt took place. Gardiner is just north of Yellowstone National Park and the permits allowed them to hunt in a portion of Gallatin National Forest for animals that had wandered out of Yellowstone.
Initially, things didn’t look promising as it didn’t appear any animals were in the area; but with ”good buffalo medicine,” a small group of three bulls appeared. The hunt involved trudging through knee deep snow and covering several miles, but eventually both Barros and Kane each harvested a bull. Barros then said a prayer of thanks for the buffalos’ sacrifice and gave some tobacco in their honor.
The third bull seemed bewildered and was reluctant to leave. There were no other tribal hunters around, so they asked the local horse packers, who had offered their services, if there were any other sportsmen with a permit who might want to take the third bull. They packed their two animals out, found a hunter with a permit, and returned with him to take the other animal. This hunter was a bit worried about taking the animal with his single shot .45-70 so the tribal members backed him up should he be in danger. One shot put the animal down and the hunter thanked the tribal hunters for their assistance.
”I think this hunt was a good example of how all of us came together as tribal members, a caucasian sportsman, the people of Gardiner, and the two horse packers to make our trip one that we will all fondly remember,” Barros said. ”I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of our tribal conservation officers, Bryson Holt and Doug Bisbee, who provided advice and a welcomed presence as professional conservation officers. They are very good representatives for our tribe is in an area that at times may be adversarial, especially with the ‘conservation’ people who oppose the harvest of the animals.”
Kane commented, ”We need to be careful in conducting ourselves over there. We all represent the Nez Perce people and want to continue this effort after 100 years of absence. It had a lot of personal meaning for me.”
”We should all strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that will have other tribes point to the Nez Perce Tribe as a positive role model in how to successfully manage a buffalo hunt. It is through all our efforts that we show non-members we are stewards of the resources and able to manage the harvest in a way that is respectful of the law, of the animals, and our traditions,” Barros added.